Islam – A Legacy Of Beauty

Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim

we come into this world as testimonies to our own creativeness, but also as witnesses to the exalted beauty of God's creation.

Even the death and decay of the natural world has a beauty of its own. Unlike humans, whose waste repels nature adorns the Earth with the beauty of growth and decay. Our Prophet peace be upon him said that Islam, the final natural religion of humanity DNL Fatra, revolves around three transcendentals truth of belief, Eman, goodness of practice, Islam, and the beauty of conduct and product. So, we know that the religion of Islam itself cannot be beautified by mere mortals for God revealed it and adorned it with its own divine beauty. Indeed, God is beautiful and loves beauty. But here on Earth, Islam presents itself through human beings and through what human beings make, in

other words, through these earthly vessels that embody or exhibit Islam. For instance, we know that God's revelation, the inimitable Quran, cannot be enhanced, nor its radiant beauty be embellished. We can, however, enhance and beautify the reciters voice, so that we might deepen and enrich our experience of receiving the words of God. The Muslims of the past, committed to the visual adornment of the written revelation mastered the arts of calligraphy, to exalt the written Quran, and crafted magnificent manuscripts that now grace the world's Museum, the Prophet Muhammad, God's peace and blessings be upon him, called his community to rectify your homes and adorn your clothes in order

that you might be like a beauty mark among humanity so that when others look upon Muslims in their work, they might see God's beauty reflected in them. The early Muslims took their prophets words to heart, they maintained welcoming homes, and embellish their clothes to reflect the dignity conferred by God on all human beings. So even the peasant or popper resembled a prince. muslims also built the most stunning architectural masterpieces that still strike all and astonishment in onlookers from the Alhambra Palace in Spain, to the Blue Mosque in Turkey, to the charm dinar and the Taj Mahal in India. They enhance their works with a son, that intangible beauty making quality of Islam that

cannot be seen, touched or heard, but only experienced through sight, sense and sound. Due to its immateriality that evokes otherworldly dimensions. They inspired other civilizations to compete in bestowing the world with beautiful monuments that reflected their own traditions. The Christians, for example, learned of stained glass from Egyptian Muslims, and illuminated their churches with the techniques that Muslims had been using to ornament their mosques. When the Prophet peace and God's blessings be upon him said, I was sent only to teach. He reminded us that intellect alone distinguishes humanity from the rest of creation, and then it must be nurtured through deliberate

and lifelong learning. Seek knowledge even unto China became a rallying call of a civilization that the historian Franz Rosenthal proclaimed as unique in human history, because of its core mandate to seek advance and preserve knowledge in the entire Quran. God commands the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him to ask for increase for only one attribute knowledge. And that Quranic verse adorns the zaytuna College seal, my Lord, Increase me in knowledge. This thirst for knowledge and wisdom sparked an intellectual tradition unparalleled in prior human history. Muslims plumb the depths of the arts and sciences, and penned some of the first major works of grammar known to man,

as well as the first scientific dictionaries. They invented new literary art forms such as the Ahmed, blending rhymed prose and poetry. They gave the gift of Arabic numerals to the west, they developed algebra and trigonometry, paving the way for calculus, and many of the great modern achievements in mathematics and the sciences. They immerse themselves in the great works of literature in history from such faraway places as India and Persia, infusing them with new life in work, such as Candela and Demna. At the dunya with Dean, and 1001 Nights, they translated the classics of Greek logic, philosophy, mathematics and science into Arabic. In fact, it was the great

translation movements in the Muslim world that helped launch a renaissance of learning and fertilization that awakened Europe from its long intellectual slumber and led to some of the most important advances in the West. early Muslims centers of learning became the envy of the world and inspired

of great Christian universities in France, Italy and England during the Middle Ages, which taught the sciences that they had learned from the Muslims, humanity's great teaching institutions were built by Muslims for a reason. They knew that structured learning provided the best means to prepare students for the challenge of cultivating this world for its own success, but more importantly, for success in another, more perfect, more excellent more beautiful world. Hence, Muslims built their schools to remind students of Paradise and the higher purpose of education they inculcated a love of beauty and Ehsaan in their students, which was mirrored even in the notebooks they left behind in

the stunning illuminations of their manuscripts, and in the dignified clothes they wore that exemplified the nobility of their pursuit of sacred knowledge. Inspired by the Quran is vivid descriptions of a verdant paradise, Muslims cultivated landscapes, with the four gardens theme memorialized by the Indo Persian civilization as child above, they enriched and ennoble their schools and Moss was such gardens that featured octagonal fountains to call to mind the eight throne carriers upon water mentioned in the Quran. The architecture was often graced with geometrical patterns and tessellations theoretically capable of infinite repetition to evoke the infinite one

hidden behind the dazzling multiplicity of creation. In all these ways, Muslims and what they built served as the vessels of Islam, reflecting the beauty of God's last revelation. Today, however, the beauty of the vessel has receded, veiling many from the beauty of its content. The Prophet, God's peace and blessings be upon him, warned us to be mindful of how others perceived Islam saying, give glad tidings, and do not dissuade people or cause a version in their hearts of Islam. He knew that all people naturally inclined towards the beautiful and that their souls recognize beauty when they see it. He peace be upon him, desire the vessels to be noble, and edifying so that happily the

hearts might awaken and turn to the truth within. Today, when Muslims are sadly witnessing the destruction and neglect of much of Islam is rich inheritance. We aim to transform the zaytuna college campus God willing, so that it becomes renowned both for its ethereal beauty, as well as its devotion to learning. We hope it becomes a place that attracts from far and wide students and others so they might witness and experience the beautiful vessel that encases and emanates from the beauty of Islam. About 100 years ago, Thomas Church, a world renowned American landscape architect, who had studied the Islamic Moorish and Andalusi in gardens, while in Europe, created the blueprints for the

gardens of the property that currently houses a tuna colleges upper campus. He chose us His theme, Islamic gardens based upon the chat about design, not knowing that one day Muslim students would walk among his designs and contemplate the very Quran which inspired his vision, we want to restore his glorious designs to their original splendor, as a testimony to the beauty of our faith. Our vision for this college remains firm, to educate and prepare future generations of students in a beautiful setting conducive to the pursuit of knowledge, so that they might go into the world as intellectual and spiritual ambassadors, armed with the power of permanent truth, a precious gift

bestowed upon us by our Creator. Our Prophet, God's peace and blessings be upon him, was a transformer of worlds because of his embodiment of God's beauty. Today, millions of mosques call the faithful five times a day to the simple beauty of submission to God, our Prophet, God's peace and blessings be upon him, gifted us a vision of how we might embody and exhibit that beauty. So we ask that you join us as we endeavor to artfully and attentively transform our campus into a timeless vessel that will God willing, remind all who come to study or to visit of that otherworldly garden awaiting? Please support us as we strive to remind a parched humanity in the barren desert of

modernity, that Muslims who wants help transform the world can God willing, be once again that beauty mark, that the prophets Allah likes him called us to be